TUBERCULOSIS cases have increased by 11 per cent in a year in England, official data shows.
The number of infections that were spotted in 2023 rose to 4,850, up from 4,380 the previous year, according to UK Health Security Agency figures.
The North East saw tuberculosis cases jump by 50 per cent from 74 in 2022 to 111 in 2023
The biggest rise was seen in the North East and experts say figures are now higher than they were before the Covid pandemic.
A UKHSA spokesperson said: “For the whole year, notifications increased by 10.7 per cent to 4,850 — a rebound to above the pre-Covid-19-pandemic numbers in 2019.
“This takes England further from the trajectory required to meet World Health Organization elimination targets.”
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that affects the lungs and can cause people to cough up blood.
Symptoms include a cough lasting more than three weeks, feeling tired or exhausted, a high temperature, loss of appetite, weight loss and feeling unwell.
You may also suffer swollen glands, body aches, swollen joints or ankles, tummy pain, constipation and dark or cloudy pee if it has spread to another part of your body.
The bacteria has been around for as long as 3million years and the condition was known as “scrofula” in the Middle Ages and “consumption” in the 1800s.
It was nicknamed the “captain of all these men of death” at the time and killed one in every seven people in Europe and the US.
Now, it is easily treatable with antibiotics, but still kills 10million people around the world every year, according to the World Health Organization.
This takes England further from the trajectory required to meet World Health Organization elimination targets
The UKHSA data show cases are on the rise in England, threatening the country’s ability to meet the WHO’s target of eliminating the disease.
The North East saw cases jump by 50 per cent from 74 in 2022 to 111 in 2023.
London had the largest number of cases with 1,678 over 2023, up 6.5 per cent on the 1,575 recorded in 2022.
All areas of the country saw cases grow but the East Midlands had the smallest jump of 2.1 per cent to 393 over the year.
It actually saw infections fall 11.2 per cent in the last three months of the year when compared to 2022.
What are the symptoms of tuberculosis?
Symptoms of tuberculosis (TB) usually come on gradually.
Common symptoms include:
a cough that lasts more than 3 weeks – you may cough up mucus (phlegm) or mucus with blood in it
feeling tired or exhausted
a high temperature or night sweats
loss of appetite
weight loss
feeling generally unwell
Children may also have difficulty gaining weight or growing.
If TB has spread to another part of your body such as your glands (lymph nodes), bones or brain, you may also have other symptoms, including:
swollen glands
body aches and pains
swollen joints or ankles
tummy or pelvic pain
constipation
dark or cloudy pee
a headache
being sick
feeling confused
a stiff neck
a rash on the legs, face or other part of the body
Source: The NHS